Rachel Antonoff, VPL, Wes Gordon & More

Wes Gordon
"Darker, grander, more dramatic" was Gordon's mantra for fall. "I love light and fresh and feminine for spring," he explained. "But for fall, I wanted her to have a little more attitude." Which is why he used the phrase "Rooney Mara as Great Expectations` Estella." Translation: emerald scarf tops paired with floor-length embroidered velvet trumpet skirts and chainmail tanks. As for his ideal wearer of the collection? Rooney Mara, obviously.

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VPL
Victoria Bartlett's fluid fall collection was appropriately inspired by the choreography of dancer Michael Clark, specifically, Mmm. The movement-centric pieces were draped, twisted, and wrapped around the body in a palette dominated by grey, black, and nude (punctuated by plum and turmeric).

Rachel Antonoff
One design conundrum Antonoff saddled herself with this season? The cute sweatshirt. "[It] was definitely a departure, but I realized that I wear them a lot, and I love them, so there must be a way to take something that you wear while at home while watching TV, and make it something you could wear out in a cute way." The result is heather gray and emblazoned with a reference to Bye Bye Byrdie. The designer also tried her hand at embroidery this season, covering an ivory dress in what she termed a "fuzzy wuzzy" pattern and a black dress in multicolored "chiclets."

Ainsley
After a taking road trip through Nevada last Summer, designer Rachel Walters came back with the inspiration for her debut fashion show: the desert sunset, rock formations, and the colors of the desert. Gold leather and copper pants were a standout piece, and an arrowhead print dress was a throwback to her Kentucky childhood. "There was a tribe that I lived nearby, and I used to collect arrowheads on my father's farm," Walters added.